The Vidya Niketan School in Chandrapur district of eastern Maharashtra on Wednesday set up lockers in the school premises for students to keep their textbooks and other study material in a bid to reduce the weight of school bags.
This initiative, however, did not spring out of some directives from the State government or from deliberations of the school administration. The force behind it is a Class Seven student, Rugved Raikwar.
Twelve-year-old Rugved and his classmate Paritosh Dhandekar had surprised journalists on Monday when they reached Chandrapur press club to address a press conference.
The students had put their plight in front of Chandrapur media and told them how primary and high school students are forced to carry heavy school bags like luggage carriers.
“We have to carry at least 16 books -- eight textbooks and eight notebooks -- everyday to the school. The number reaches 20 at times due to extra classes. It’s exhausting to carry them from home to school and then to the classrooms situated on second or third floors of the school building,” Rugved told The Hindu .
The duo decided to hold the press conference when their school principle turned a blind eye to their letters on the issue twice in one month.
“I also tried to call Education Minister Vinod Tawade but he did not speak to us. Every time his juniors told me that the Minister was busy. After we addressed the press conference, lockers have been set up in our school for all the students. Earlier, only those students, who faced health issues, were allowed to use lockers,” Rugved said.
However, within a day of the press conference, his classmate backed out of the campaign.
“His parents did not want to take on the school authorities. Some people from the school administration even warned me against addressing the press conference but I told them that my fight was not with the school but with the system,” Rugved said.
After winning the first battle of reducing weight of school bags of his fellow school kids, Rugved now wants to reduce the burden of every primary and high school student in India.
“I will try to speak to the Education Minister about this and if he doesn’t do anything, I will launch an agitation taking every affected student with me. The schools charge high fees from students, can’t they provide basic facilities like lockers to the students if they cannot reduce to weight of their school bags?” he asked.
